KBC Group NV Acquires 96 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 14.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 776 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,390,000 after purchasing an additional 217,867 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,621,000 after acquiring an additional 203,543 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 727,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,981,000 after acquiring an additional 48,938 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,997,000 after acquiring an additional 78,784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 260,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,756,000 after purchasing an additional 5,390 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $370.65 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $323.90 and its 200 day moving average is $287.25. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $388.36. The firm has a market cap of $9.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.25 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 23.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,394 shares of company stock valued at $16,688,879 in the last 90 days. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc operates as an automotive retailer worldwide. It operates in two segments, Vehicle Operations and Financing Operations. The company’s Vehicle Operations segment sells new and used vehicles; provides parts, repair, and maintenance services; vehicle finance; and insurance products. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.